DOGRA MOGRA (1988)

3 stars

Radiance Films. Limited Edition Blu ray. 28th October

The film opens kind of freakily – a floating foetus. A woman being strangled. Dissonant music. Puts you on edge immediately.

A young man (Yôji Matsuda) awakens in a cell – he hears a knocking on the wall and a woman’s voice. He becomes agitated and bangs on the locked door. “Help me”.

He is not in a prison but an asylum – he is visited by Professor Wakabayashi (Hideo Murata), who he doesn’t recognise. The prof has taken over from Dr Masaki (Shijaku Katsura), who passed away recently and was treating the cell’s occupant. It seems he has amnesia and doesn’t remember anything, not even his name.

When he is taken next door, to meet the source of the voice, he is asked if he remembers the young lady, which he doesn’t. When she suddenly awakens she says, “Brother in law. Why are you here?” So she knows him… a mystery begins to emerge

His doctor shows our protagonist a slide show – the story of an artist and courtier to the emperor, who kills his wife and paints her as she decays, but then turns to killing other females to carry on his gruesome studies. When he is chased out of town, he takes up with his bride’s sister. On their way to Japan in a boat, he drowns, but she is pregnant and gives birth to a boy. It is implied the murderous inclination passes down from generation to generation. Dr Masaki was studying this concept and called it Inherited Psychological Condition.

Slowly but surely as his memory is jogged our young man begins to think he is Kure Ichiro – a direct descendant of the artist from the slide show and he may have indeed inherited the killer tendencies…

Based on a novel of the same name by Kyuusaku Yumeno, which was considered unfilmable. The narrative as presented here is a bit jumbled and jumps about a lot as it peels back the layers of the psychosis of the central character. At times confusing, this has a mystery at it’s core and also elements of horror thrown into the mix. Slow paced and talky – as Japanese films often are – this is somewhat stagey in presentation, with often histrionic acting. A slightly bizarre exploration of madness, the film looks amazing on this Blu Ray, colourful and crisply rendered. I have to say I would be lying if I said I fully understood what was going on!

Steve Kirkham

EXTRAS

3 stars

Audio commentary by director Toshio Matsumoto (2003)

Interview with Toshio Matsumoto (21 mins). An archival interview, from 2003, with the director about the making of the film.

Dogra Magra through the eyes of Tetsuo Suzuki (13 mins): A visual essay by programmer and curator Julian Ross looking at the importance of cinematographer Suzuki (2024)

Instructions on Ahodara Sutra (a popular Japanese chant delivered by Dr. Masaki in the film) by legendary street performer Hiroshi Sakano (16 mins)

Gallery and Trailer

You also get Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow; Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Hirofumi Sakamoto, president of the Postwar Japan Moving Image Archive and author Jasper Sharp on screenwriter Atsushi Yamatoya plus an interview with producer Shuji Shibata and Matsumoto’s director’s statement.